Warning to Sellers:

Be aware of the following Internet Scam...

A prospective buyer contacts seller and agrees to the asking price and then tells the seller...“Give me your address and I'll mail you Certified Funds right away for the cost of the cattle plus $1,500.00 for trucking to my ranch. Deposit the check and then send the $1,500.00 by Western Union to my trucking company. After they receive the funds, they'll contact you about picking up the cattle.”

The problem is that the check is counterfeit. An unwary seller deposits the check and wires the "freight costs to the trucking company." A few days later, the seller's bank contacts him to advise him the check is a fake and his $1,500.00 is gone.

Because these scammers typically e-mail or text sellers, avoid buyers wanting to do a transaction exclusively by e-mail or texting... If they won't talk to you, caution is in order.

Additionally, unless you are certain a buyer is legitimate...

Do not accept Certified Funds as payment without calling the Bank or other issuing entity to verify the validity of the check. It could be counterfeit.

Do not provide your checking account information for payment by wire transfer to a prospective buyer. Scammers, in possession of your name, phone number, e-mail address, bank account information, and utilizing software available on the "Dark Web" designed to hack into financial institutions and banks, will attempt to gain access to your account.